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Spirited Away (Miyazaki, Japan, 2001)

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Spirited Away (Miyazaki, Japan, 2001) GCSE Film Studies - Focus Film Factsheet Spirited Away (Miyazaki, Japan, 2001) Component 2: Global Film; Narrative, • The initial dress codes are gender neutral Representation & Film Style and western in nature, contrasting with the Focus Area: Representation traditional Japanese clothes worn in the spirit world by Chihiro, Haku and others. Once Chihiro leaves the Bathhouse (for the train PART 1: Key Sequence(s) and ride was Miyazaki’s original ending; the timings and/or links remaining aiding the film’s coda) she removes Sequence 1 - ‘Opening Sequence’ 0:00 – 00:06:10 her Bathhouse uniform and returns to her original, androgynous and Western clothing. Sequence 2 – Chihiro meets Haku/ enters the spirit world 00:10:48-00:15:11 • The buildings were designed to evoke nostalgia in the viewers and seems like a Sequence 3 – Chihiro meets Kamaji / enters parody of the past (linking to her father’s the Boiler Room 00:21:55 – 00:24:30 comments about it being a ‘theme park’). Sequence 4 – Chihiro at Zeniba’s house • Red lighting throughout the newly emerged spirit with No Face 01:45:52 – 01:48:08 world in sequence 2, signifying the danger. Editing PART 2: STARTING POINTS - Key Elements • Slow pace to establish characters, of Film Form (Micro Features) narrative and setting. Cinematography (including Lighting) • Continuity editing used to support the • High angle mid shot (MS) of Chihiro in audience’s understanding narrative and the the back of the car denoting her place strange world that the spirits inhabit. within the family as a child/female. • In contrast to the more familiar low-budget • Camera movement changes as they enter anime Miyazaki kept a higher frame rate (30fps) the forest reflecting the importance of the as opposed to the more commonly used 24fps. setting and the change in narrative. Sound • Sequence One contains lots of establishing • Soundtrack used to emphasise emotions of shots of a modern, Westernised and urban Japan Chihiro (sadness at leaving her home) and that contrasts with establishing shots of the danger (in the car and at the gates to the spirit nostalgic bathhouse/spirit world later in the film. world). Hisaishi’s music reaches a crescendo as Low angle shots from within the car looking Chihiro’s father has to stop to avoid crashing. out, positioning the audience with Chihiro. • Naturalism is created through the use of voice • Daylight signifies safety and the lowering and sound effects. For example when Chihiro sun and casting shadows and signifying first encounters Kamaji in the Boiler Room. danger. A traditional fantasy/horror trope. There is an array of diegetic sound effects to Mise-en-Scène emphasise the industrial nature of the boiler • Mise-en-scène is deliberately grey (colour of room. For the 1st minute of the sequence there cars, roads, buildings) drawing attention to is no verbal content or dialogue, allowing the the wires, retaining walls and other modern viewer to absorb the surreal visual elements elements of urban life. This then contrasts with alongside the familiar aural cues; Kamaji the distinctly green and natural colours that and his Susuwatari are fantastical creatures emerge as the family begin to lose their way. and yet the setting, and sound, naturalises • In sequence one the use of an Audi car, them within the narrative. Students can first highlighting that Japanese culture has listen to the scene and discuss their visual embraced European/Western products. expectations before watching the scene. 1 GCSE Film Studies - Focus Film Factsheet • The soundtrack often reassures the audience key to the film and we follow her journey from that, despite the grotesque or frightening nature whining child to the heroine of the narrative. of the characters that Chihiro is encountering, • Gender can also be explored through she is not in any serious danger. In sequence Lin, a young female worker in the 4, we can hear the diegetic sounds of Zeniba Bathhouse who supports Chihiro. spinning yarn and teaching No Face how to knit. • Yubaba is an older female antagonist in charge In the background, the soothing tones of the of the Bathhouse and therefore an interesting soundtrack are heard; this is vital in reassuring representation of age and gender. Her twin the audience, as we see a brief medium shot of sister, Zeniba, is her binary opposite in character Chihiro sat apart from the busy group, curled and therefore worth looking at how she can up and in distress. She then joins the group, alleviate the (young) audience’s fears. addressing Zeniba as ‘Granny’ but then outlining • Haku is the male counterpart to Chihiro her fears of having failed (Haku and her parents and the ‘helper’ (Propp). Also explores being dead and her inability to remember the theme of environmentalism as he is anything). This narrative crisis could prove a River Spirit who is victim to the vast very worrying to the (young) audience, and so development experienced in Japan. Hisaishi’s soundtrack reassures through a calm • Boh (Yubaba’s baby) can be read as a and uplifting melody. The narrative then quickly representation of how the younger generation reflects this (with the joyful return of Haku). are infantilised by parents/older generations. • Chihiro’s parents and No Face represent a PART 3: STARTING POINTS - Contexts criticism of (Japanese/ Western/ Global) consumerism and how their greed turns Social them into grotesque, mindless monsters • The film is an example of ‘shojo’ – narratives (Parents = Pigs for slaughter). in manga and anime that are told from the • Representations of traditional Japanese culture perspective of young female protagonists. are present throughout the spirit world and • Miyazaki was concerned about the impact the film has a nostalgic element in regard of development on the environment and on to the simplicity of life in the Bathhouse. the culture- the spirit world, although scary • Spirited Away emphasises the importance and unpredictable, teaches Chihiro and the of female resourcefulness, strength and audience that we need to look after the world independence through a narrative of a young around us and value our cultural heritage. girl who finds herself lost (p.18 spec.) Historical • Miyazaki is considered the ‘godfather’ of Japanese anime and co-founded Studio Ghibli in 1985. • The film is the highest grossing film in Japanese history and won the 2003 Best Animation Oscar having been released through Walt Disney Studios outside of Japan. • The distinctly ‘hand-drawn’ style of the film is in contrast to the standard CGI style favoured by Hollywood and the anime tradition draws on a range of influences from Japanese culture. PART 4: STARTING POINTS - Specialist Focus - Representation • Focus should be on gender, ethnicity, age and different cultures. • Gender can be explored through Chihiro as the young female protagonist; her representation is 2.
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